J. Wesley Jones

Partner

Mergers & Acquisitions and Venture Capital

“My passion is working with smart people who have good ideas in the tech space. I enjoy advising emerging companies with cool technology; I can see what they’re trying to accomplish and help them get there in the best way possible, whether it’s growing their business, raising money or ultimately selling their business. I understand what the client is asking for because I’ve also been the client.”

J. Wesley Jones

Overview

Venture Capital and Mergers & Acquisitions lawyer Wes Jones has represented public and private companies in corporate transactions since 1995. Wes has extensive experience working with venture capital firms and their portfolio companies in the technology, energy and life sciences industries, with a focus on emerging and venture-backed technology companies.

In the mergers and acquisitions space, Wes represents both private equity funds and other strategic buyers, as well as emerging companies in their liquidation events or IPOs.

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Experience

  • Spredfast in its acquisition of Shoutlet, a social data integration company 

  • Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures as lead investor in the $25 million Series D financing of ConXtech, a construction technology company that develops and builds mass-customizable, modular, prefabricated and sustainable structural steel building systems 

  • BMC Software in the acquisition of assets of CDB Software, a mainframe data management company

  • SailPoint in the equity investment by Thoma Bravo in the company, a provider of on-premises and cloud identity management software solutions

  • Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures in the Series D financing of Novomer, a sustainable chemistry company, pioneering a family of high-performance, environmentally responsible polymers and chemical intermediates

  • Pharos Capital Group in its acquisition of Seaside Healthcare, a behavioral health services provider

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Credentials

Education

  • The University of Texas School of Law, J.D. with honors, 1995 (Secretary of the Chancellors; Order of the Coif; Texas Law Review)
  • The University of Texas at Austin, B.B.A., Finance, 1992

Admissions

  • Texas

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Recognitions

  • Chambers USA, Technology: Corporate & Commercial (Texas), 2013–2026; Corporate/M&A (Austin), 2020–2026
  • Legal 500 U.S., Technology: Transactions, 2011, 2013, and 2014; Venture Capital & Emerging Companies, 2014–2017 and 2019; Finance: Capital Markets: Equity Offerings, 2019 and 2021
  • The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), “Lawyer of the Year” Venture Capital Law (Austin), 2014 and 2020
  • The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), Mergers & Acquisitions Law (Austin), Venture Capital Law (Austin), 2012−2017 and 2019−2027
  • Selected to the Texas Rising Stars list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2005−2009
News & Achievements

Awards & Rankings

Chambers USA 2026 Recognizes Vinson & Elkins in 66 Practice Categories, 170 Individual Lawyer Rankings

Vinson & Elkins announced today that it achieved 20 Band 1 rankings in Chambers USA 2026: Nationwide: Energy Transition; Energy: …

June 4, 2026

June 4, 2026 • 3-minute read

Awards & Rankings

Vinson & Elkins Earns 305 Rankings in The Best Lawyers in America 2026, Including Five “Lawyer of the Year” Recognitions

The Best Lawyers in America (BL Rankings, LLC) has named 125 Vinson & Elkins lawyers in its “Best Lawyers” category in the 2026 edition. Additionally, 76 Vinson & Elkins attorneys have been named in the “Ones to Watch” category, which recognizes lawyers with 5–10 years’ experience. Some individuals are listed in more than one practice area, giving the firm a total of 305 rankings.

August 21, 2025

August 21, 2025 • 3-minute read

Awards & Rankings

Chambers USA 2025 Recognizes Vinson & Elkins in 67 Practice Categories, 167 Individual Lawyer Rankings

Vinson & Elkins announced today that it achieved 18 Band 1 rankings in Chambers USA 2025: Nationwide: Energy: Oil & Gas (Regulatory & Litigation); Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional); Energy Transition; Offshore Energy; Projects: Oil & Gas; Projects: Power & Renewables: Transactional New York: Bankruptcy/Restructuring: Highly Regarded Texas: Bankruptcy/Restructuring;  Capital Markets: Debt & Equity; Corporate/M&A: The Elite; Environment: Mainly Transactional; Litigation: Securities; Real Estate; Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use; Tax; Technology: Corporate & Commercial Texas: Austin & Surrounds: Corporate/M&A Texas: Dallas, Fort Worth & Surrounds: Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Of the firm’s 167 individual lawyer rankings, 16 were newly added in 2025. Some lawyers are ranked in more than one category.

June 5, 2025

June 5, 2025 • 3-minute read

Awards & Rankings

Chambers USA 2024 Recognizes Vinson & Elkins in 61 Practice Categories, 163 Individual Lawyer Rankings

Vinson & Elkins announced today that it achieved 19 Band 1 rankings in Chambers USA 2024: Nationwide: Energy: Oil & Gas (Regulatory & Litigation); Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional); Energy Transition; Offshore Energy; Projects: Oil & Gas; Projects: Power & Renewables: Transactional New York: Bankruptcy/Restructuring: Highly Regarded; Corporate M&A: Takeover Defense Texas: Austin & Surrounds: Corporate/M&A; Bankruptcy/Restructuring; Dallas, Fort Worth & Surrounds: Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation; Capital Markets: Debt & Equity; Corporate/M&A: The Elite; Environment: Mainly Transactional; Litigation: Securities; Real Estate; Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use; Tax; Technology: Corporate & Commercial Of the firm’s 163 individual lawyer rankings, 22 were newly added in 2024. Some lawyers are ranked in more than one category.

June 6, 2024

June 6, 2024 • 3-minute read

Deals & Cases

Southwest Airlines Announces Investment in LanzaJet, Inc.

Vinson & Elkins advised Southwest Airlines Co. in a $30 million investment in LanzaJet, Inc., a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technology provider and producer with a patented ethanol-to-SAF technology.

February 28, 2024

February 28, 2024 • 1-minute read

VE-Advised-Southwest-Airlines-Co.-in-30M-Investment-in-LanzaJet-Inc.